7 Statements Jesus made from the Cross

As we approach Good Friday in the church calendar, let’s examine 7 statements Jesus made from the cross. They are powerful words that reveal important sights into God’s plan of salvation in Christ, as well as God’s purpose for us.

(1) Luke 23:34 – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

This is a prayer request of Jesus to his heavenly Father, regarding forgiveness for his enemies. I think these words led to the conversion of one of the men crucified next to Jesus. If you recall, two criminals were crucified next to Jesus.  At first they both hurled insults at Jesus (Matthew 27:44), but then one of them repented and turned to Jesus for salvation (Luke 23:40-43).  What would account for this sudden change? He witnessed the demeanor of Jesus, forgiving those who were crucifying him.  If we want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to start by forgiving those who have hurt us.

(2) Luke 23:43 – “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

These words of Jesus were spoken to the penitent criminal. He had said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus, in telling the man that he would soon be joining him in paradise, was giving him the assurance that he was forgiven and saved. This is proof that salvation is by grace through faith, and not by works (see Ephesians 2:8-9). It also tells us what happens to every believer in Jesus upon death: Their soul goes immediately to heaven.  As the apostle Paul said, “To be to be away from the body” is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

(3) John 19:26–27 – “Jesus said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

Here we see the heart of Jesus for his mom. Though he’s fulfilling God’s plan of salvation on the cross, he takes the time to care for his mom, a widow, and entrusts her care to the disciple/apostle John. The brothers of Jesus weren’t yet believers (that would only happen after the resurrection), and so our Lord couldn’t rely on them for this level of practical and spiritual care. It reminds us of the importance of loving and caring for those around us, both in our physical family and spiritual family.

(4) Matthew 27:46 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When Jesus said these words, he had been hanging on the cross for six hours. This statement, and the next three, follow in rapid succession moments before he died.  These words of Jesus weren’t spoken simply because he felt forsaken. It was because in a very precise way, Christ was carrying the full weight of our sin upon himself (1 Peter 2:24), and thus the Father, whose “eyes are too pure to look on evil” (Habakkuk 1:13), turned away from his Son. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

(5) John 19:28 – “I am thirsty”

We see in this the humanity of Jesus. He knew pain. He knew hunger. He knew thirst. He knew suffering. This is a good reminder that personal suffering doesn’t necessarily mean we are outside of the will of God.The Lord was fulfilling perfectly the Father’s will, and yet was suffering personally.  These words of Jesus also teach us that suffering can be redeemed, because our Lord spoke them on Friday, just moments before he died.  Three days later, on the Sunday, he would rise again. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit would be given, which is to us “streams of living water” (see John 7:37-39) to fill our thirsty souls. So, our suffering has a purpose in God’s plan, and our thirst can give way to satisfaction and joy as we yield to Christ and are refreshed by the Holy Spirit.

(6) John 19:30 – “It is finished”

Jesus didn’t say, “I am finished,” but rather “it is finished.” The work of paying for our sins was completed at the cross. The debt that sin owes God was taken care of by Jesus, for all who trust in Him and his perfect sacrifice.

(7) Luke 23:46 – “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

These final words of Jesus are a quote from Psalm 31:5, except that our Lord adds the words ‘Father’ at the start of it.  These words remind us that Jesus voluntarily gave up his life. Though he was beaten and nailed to the cross by others, in the actual moment of death, Jesus voluntarily gave up his own life. He willingly went to the cross for us to accomplish that which He was born to do.  He died that we might live.  What a Savior we have! We can be sure of God’s great love for us when we consider the cross, for, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).